Captured By Candlelight

Captured by Candlelight is a majestic scent, and marks another successful gourmand/sweet foray by Sarah McCartney and 4160 Tuesdays, though I confess I've mostly tried sweet scents from her thus far. CBC is inarguably a gourmand, though, conjuring the sticky toffee pudding vibe, the holiday dessert laden with sweet, bready, and spicy elements. CBC also has some sweet booziness from the cognac, in addition to the more solid food elements of cinnamon, toffee, fruits, hazelnuts, anchored with an inedible base of oak and candle wax. Overall the experience is sweet cinnamon/toffee pudding with a cognac vibe and some underlying woods. Very pleasant, very sweet, and rewarding it its comfort. I confess I don't specifically get candle wax from this but it does have a slightly waxy attribute overall and one could easily consider it similar in overall scent to a food-like candle, though I ultimately do not: it's far closer to actual food than to a candle imitating food, and in that respect, Sarah has created a superbly realistic and fun to wear gourmand. CBC seems to me to be a versatile cold weather scent, as I could see myself wearing it just casually around the house all the same as I could see myself wearing it on a holiday. It's also not heavy or dark enough that I'd totally shy away from wearing it on a summer evening, even. And perhaps it goes without say but this very true gourmand is quite unisex. Performance-wise, it's very good, perhaps not quite as boastful as Eau My Soul or Maxed Out but comparable. And the price point is fair, at $100/$90 for 50ml via Indiescents and Olfactif, respectively. I certainly intend to track down a bottle of this. Really delectable stuff. 8 out of 10

I received a sample of CbC from 4160T last winter, when I bought a FB of another of their perfumes - and promptly fell passionately in love. One of my daughters bought me a bottle for my birthday recently and I am wearing it now. I always select my SOTD the night before, spritzing a little on me and my clothes and then topping up with a couple of extra sprays when I get to work the following morning. CbC is a lightly spiced, warm and beautiful gourmand, reminding me of sticky toffee pudding, served with a rich and creamy vanilla custard. It opens with a sweet, powerful, boozy, caramel punch and dries down quite quickly to a lightly smoked woody base; much as I love the drydown, I wish that gorgeous opening would hang around longer, as it makes me very happy. Frankly, a large Cognac is the only thing that could make me happier on a cold evening... but perfume is far better for my health. You owe it to yourself to try CbC if you love gourmands; I doubt you'll be disappointed. It's an exemplary example and shows off Sarah McCartney's (who, incidentally, is a charming correspondent) talent beautifully. I am a huge fan of hers and now have 10 or 11 perfumes from 4160 Tuesdays (a house which is definitely worth exploring), some of which are limited editions and aren't in the database. ETA: Having owned my bottle for over a year now, either the perfume (or my interpretation of it) has altered slightly, as I am now picking up a very light but persistent smoky note, which smells exactly like an recently extinguished match. This is NOT a criticism, because I love that smell.

This fragrance is truly a masterpiece & I do not throw that word around often. For me, Captured By Candlelight transports me to an English stately home in the dead of winter. Secluded in the countryside & the house quite silent, apart from the murmur of conversation from the dining room and the flicker of an open fire. I can smell the oak panelling in the room, the Christmas pudding & boozy nuances from drinks on the dining table. Sarah McCartney did say that this was the scent of an English dining room at Christmas time & she created this absolutely perfectly. I must also commend Team Tuesdays for their amazing customer service - both of my orders have been sorted quickly, with a personal note included and also an extra sample of a fragrance thrown in for free. Super, super impressed and will be buying a bottle of this soon. Gushing over. Get your nose on this!

A love! I have 2 other from this brand Creamy Vanilla Crumble and Over The Chocolate Shop but this is gorgeous! I have many perfumes but this is in the top 10. The initial blast of sweetness comes from honey but not as strong as Zoologist’s Bee. The fruity notes and toffee dominate the scent but not in an obtrusive or cloying way. I believe the cognac is there but it’s so well blended it doesn’t jump out at me! Reviews are subjective but one almost tried and true trick I’ve found is if the crowd here can’t come up with not a singular negative review, or only one it’s probably a winner. the beeswax tempers it, or some other note but it’s pretty! Definitely has good sillage, projection is hard to judge as I am congested now. This the sweetness I wanted and didn’t get w/ the other two.

This is not just another perfume... This is pure poetry! So much more than a "Christmas" scent, this tells a story of love and passion, of sadness and joy, of bittersweet memories and feelings... It's full of paradoxes and mysteries. Its sweet, boozy and spicy top notes intermingle so harmoniously with the somehow animalic heart, leading to a wonderful base of dark, caramelized woods. To paraphrase the first line of Sylvia Plath's "By Candlelight" mesmerizing poem, "This is winter, this is night, big love". It's perfect and beautiful and addictive. It's all I want from a perfume. I'd only wish it lasted longer and had a stronger sillage... Still, full bottle worthy. Love it so much! 9/10

I love oakwood. I have a small 15ml bottle of oakwood extract and it's gotta be my favorite wood note ever. That was my main reason for grabbing this fragrance. It is fairly gourmand-leaning, but I still really enjoy it despite not being a gourmand lover. There's a distinct booze note, something tart and fruity that makes me think of raspberry, a sweet caramelic edible note, a touch of spice and a bit of oak to give it depth. I think if anything my only complaint is the oak note could be stronger (but i'm an oak freak so ignore my complaints). This is a fantastic cold weather pick. Pretty sweet, so some might consider it more femme leaning for that reason.

Captured By Candlelight by 4160 Tuesdays is a real surprise for me. Very sweet, with the toffee and fruity notes combining for an overtly lollipop like mid, but tempered by the presence of the wood and boozy cognac. The woods and cognac elevate it from what could be considered somewhat juvenile into a very rich experience. These facets alone make Captured By Candlelight pretty unique, but the addition of one of the most remarkable beeswax notes in perfumery is what elevates it to the next level. The beeswax note is incredible. Absolutely beautiful. Great longevity and reasonable silage help make Captured By Candlelight a truly unisex winner in my book.

Had a marathon week sampling a bunch of niche perfumes and that was easily the standout of the bunch. I can kind of see where someone might compare this to By the Fireplace -- it has that same sort of woodsy, boozy vanilla DNA (minus the actual vanilla) -- however the toffee note in this makes it lean sweeter and I really, really love the addition of the beeswax. I'm shocked there's no sandalwood or cedar, because there's something in the woods accord here that's keeping it quite fresh. I've been wearing it for two days straight, literally cannot get my hands on a full bottle of this fast enough.

WHAT?? This is one my all-time favorite fragrances and I can tell you right now, I totally disagree with the insinuation that MM by the fireplace and champagne truffle smell anything like this one. Those 2 frags don't even smell like each other. One smells like chocolate and the other smells like a burning fireplace. That's not similar. By Candlelight is the most similar to YSL's Caftan, I know, I did a smell test side by side with them. Sorry, I just couldn't believe what I saw. It has the same buttery semi-sweet candle light smell that By Candlelight has.

Wow!!!!! I smell the wax of the candle upon initial blast! The notes are well blended from beginning to end! I wore this last night when Trick or Treating with the kids (COVID-19 style). I thought the Candlelight is also appropriate for Halloween. It is a lovely fragrance. The sillage and longevity is great. My son could smell this at least 6 feet away, a couple hours into wearing, which is incredible for my skin. It is addicting. I think this is FB (Full Bottle) worthy. This is my first impression. I have a decant. Love it!!!! Great value for the price!

Warm very sweet fruit, beeswax and sugar. It’s lovely. I expected something a bit more spicy and unisex based on the reviews, and this is very sweet and much more feminine than I anticipated. Maybe a smelled hard, boiled fruity sweets. I love it. Give it 10-15 mins before it settles as the opening is very light and fruity. Edit: I think this one matures with time. I bought a bottle from 5 years ago and it’s got more smoke and cinnamon, like a sweeter, more feminine by the fireplace. I absolutely love it. Will store my newer bottle to use later!

I discovered a tester of this which I must have purchased quite a long time ago. Not sure whether it's best for warm or cool weather but decided to try it today (temp is warmish but not hot). It is fantastic. Smells immediately (or at least, strongly reminds me of) marshmallows on a camp fire. Same sort of vibe as Maison Margiela's By the Fireplace, but much less woody/smoky and much more sweet/edible with a slight tinge of booze. I'm strongly tempted to buy a small bottle from the website.

How have I never reviewed this before now? I’ve had my bottle since 2020, and it’s consistently remained in my top 5 favorite fragrances. This is how I imagine the Gryffindor common room would smell; it’s amazing. A cozy roaring fireplace on a dark night, some toffee-like sweets being eaten. Maybe Fred and George snuck some cognac in too. Ahhhhh. I feel like a creature made of embers and toasted sugar when I wear this. It’s so unique and beautiful.

Captured by Candlelight. What can I say about this beauty? I'm wearing it now while at hospital and going through quite a lot. Its helping immensely. The sheer soothing quality of this is doing me wonders. Sweet toffee, dry vanilla, cassia bark and dried fruits for an alcoholic Christmas cake. I am in awe. I hate to gush, but I adore it ever so much. Soft enough not to overwhelm, but strong enough to love and keep me strong. Amazing.

Very much a sweet gourmand but not overly sweet. Gorgeous stuff! Yep, definitely christmas pud in there but its not heavy and overwhelming. Dried fruit and a swig of brandy. I paint with oils sometimes and yes, they are there in the background. This is yummy. I don’t like Christmas pud myself but this is delicious so that’s saying something. I know I am a chocaholic but I swear there is some in this. Moderate sillage and longevity.

Beautiful fairytale fragrance! sweet and spicy notes of cinnamon bring you a delightful accent, along with the cognac is the note that I sense more! This adorable perfume transports you to those days of celebration, Christmas... serenity,sweetness but also the warmth ... this fragrance is all about. Can not miss in my list,it is quite extraordinary. Great job Sarah!♥ Sillage: 8./10 Longevity: 8./10 Scent: 9.5/10 Overall: 9.5/10

Brandy butter on Christmas pudding and mince pie on a polished dark wood. Soft and comforting with just a slight brandy sharpness. Really quite addictive. I wish I could make it stronger. It lasts well which is just as well as I keep wanting to smell it. Good for anyone who likes slightly more sophisticated sweet food scents. I do hope they will keep producing it. It's a rare character in the post 2006 perfume world. IMHO :).

This piqued my interest so much the first time I smelled it in stores that I immediately ordered a sample to further test it out. In the bottle, it comes off as being very waxy, but once sprayed onto the skin, you really begin to pickup on those fruity notes. To me, this is a photorealistic bag of airhead bites—specifically the blue one. It’s so random, and yet I love it. Reminds me of middle school.

My husband bought me some gourmet marshmallows for Christmas. My faves were some maple pecan ones. They came with a little wax/oil burner for toasting. This perfume smells EXACTLY like that. Warm, sugary, nutty, with a hint of toastiness. I smelled the marshmallow box for days after we'd eaten them all. I keep coming back to my tester of this and doing the same. Delicious!

You know when you blow out a candle and the wick sizzles and smokes for a moment before it dies? That’s what this perfume smells like. It’s incredible. An instant favorite. The cool, big sister of By the Fireplace. I love both these fragrances, but I find Captured by Candlelight more mysterious and romantic, while I’d say By the Fireplace is more cozy and warm.

I have this fragrance with added cocoa. It feels like an adult holiday party in the best way. It smells like a toffee biscuit dipped in fine cognac, there are cinnamon sticks nearby.The sweet beeswax lingers in the air with tones of oak and realistic cocoa(the cocoa was added to this but without it, it would still be a 10/10). This is a sublime masterpiece.

This is soooo good! To me it’s a fall and winter fragrance, but I love it so much that I’ll just have to figure out a way to pull it off in the spring/summer nights. It’s super cozy and comforting, I really enjoy it. Easily in my top 10 for life. Btw... men, you need this! She’ll be all over you 😉

Sarah McCartney has perfectly recreated the experience of Christmas plum pudding alight with brandy flames, served in an oak panelled dining room. Sweet at the top, but not sickly, with candle smoke, wax and warm woods. The plum note is outstanding. I adore it. Full bottle now in my collection.

One of my favourites! The opening is reminiscent of Christmas pudding then transitions to the most beautiful, sweet and comforting toffee and woody scent. There is something about this fragrance that just draws you in has you hooked. Silage 8/10 Longevity 9/10 Scent 10/10

Love the wax note. This is a cozy fragrance. It's not a big bold fragrance you wear for others. Great for days when you just want to stay home and curl up on the sofa. There is nothing to not like about this fragrance.

I sampled this and immediately bought a full bottle. On my skin it smells like toffee and leans feminine. Longevity and sillage are not great but that's what I personally prefer because it's better for my allergies.

For someone who doesn't much like alcohol notes or overly sweet scents I find this just beautiful. The perfumer Sarah McCartney is so very clever and just about the only perfumer who I'd blind buy from.

Mmm ... this one is absolutely gorgeous. It is a delicious true gourmand that smells like cake batter and icing. It is so incredibly comforting. It would make a lovely room scent.

Pretty waxy gourmand, I like it. You can smell the cognac in the opening, but it becomes this great waxy toffee and (I smell) fruity scent.

A magical fragrance - it’s a brandy-soaked Christmas pudding burning brightly in a great wood-panelled hall. A perfect December perfume!

At the end of an intimate but convivial dinner party with close friends, you finally bring out the piece de resistance - the lemon meringue pie, served with a strawberry coulis. Zesty and sweet, and topped with a crust of caramelised sugar, it is invitingly cold. Your still hungry, sweet toothed guests devour it almost immediately. Later you move to an oak panelled drawing room to serve your guests a warming after dinner brandy, and a selection of chewy, spiced toffee petit fours. I have received a sample set from 4160 Tuesdays, and it's one of my first forays into niche perfumery. I've tested a few so far, and must say that never before have I ever been able to pick out distinctive, individual notes in a perfume, that arrive and fade and dance around each other as you move through the scent development the way that they do in these 4160 creations. Wearing Captured by Candlelight in particular, I literally felt the scent change from each stage to the next, moving from the dessert on to having one for the road. Somehow this scent even manages to capture the coolness of a pie fresh from the fridge, and then the temperature actually increases as the cognac warms you up. In this way, it's very reminiscent of the bubble gum Violet Beauregarde eats in the chocolate factory that gives her the experience of a three course meal. Perhaps Sarah McCartney is the Willy Wonka of perfumery....

The review below me made me blind this lol. Smells like the Gryffindor common room? Yes. Yes it does. This is really really beautiful but I’m not sure I want to smell like this. I want to smell it, but not necessarily smell like it. The candle wax and toffee are most prominent in this, and I’d say the waxiness of this will not be for everyone. However, don’t judge right after spraying. The candle wax is overly strong for the first few minutes, but it settles down quickly. The sweetness from the toffee comes out more, and the cognac adds just a touch of booziness in the background. The oak in the dry down is relatively subtle so I don’t feel this fragrance evolves much after the 10 minute mark. I’m so excited to spray this during winter snowfalls, curled up by the window with a fuzzy blanket and coffee, and re-reading Harry Potter books because I will never get tired of them. Edit: This also makes me think of stroopwafels. Edit 2: It’s a love. Turns out I do in fact want to smell like this. I want to smell it all the time. I’ve worn this to bed every night since I’ve gotten it. Now I’m wondering if there’s a candle that smells like this so I can burn it in my living room.

I love the realistic opening note of cognac matured in oak barrels. A few minutes later, sticky notes of fruit join the composition. I think this is a lovely rendition of a boozy Christmas pudding. Unfortunately, I do not get any candlewax. The more the drydown progresses, the more the fragrance morphs into ambery territory and soon I am left with a smoky and vanillic amber. While I really like this fragrance, I cannot help noticing that this smoky vanilla note is also in the drydown of other 4160 Tuesdays fragrances that I have tried so far (The Sexiest Scent, Rhubarb & Custard, Eau my Soul). This is a shame because, at this point, I have the impression that I cannot be surprised anymore by this house and, as a consequence, my curiosity is fading.

On me this is a generic sweet perfume at opening, which is nice, but not exciting. I smell honey/beeswax and spice, with smoke in the background. It's like an oak-y toffee version of "By the Fireplace" or a version of "Whiff of Waffle Cone" after blowing out a match (and minus the burnt hair smell). I don't get fruits or booze from this, and this is going to be a pass for me. I am glad to have sampled it, but it's not my jam. Maybe it's better suited to warmer weather wear, rather than chilly fall weather?

A boozy, gently spicy and incredibly juicy Christmas pudding! In fact, it is very much like my late grandmother's old fashioned Xmas Pud (not the rich, dense black affair you get these days, but a golden, candied thing of festive beauty). The dry down is toffee, juicy sultanas, a whiff of brandy and glacé cherries. Unexpectedly gorgeous sweet treat! I am saving the rest of my sample for Christmas, of course :-)

Others have written beautiful, poetic reviews. I'm just here to say that I love a good beeswax note in perfume. This reminds me a lot of Un Bois Vanille, except not quite as sweet. That one also has a beeswax note, and they're both amazing. I blind bought this and am happy with my purchase. I think this is a great unisex fragrance that is well-balanced with sweet, spicy, and woody notes.

I just opened my tester that I received a while ago. This immediately reminded me of Maison Margiela's By the Fireplace, but very toned down. MM is my cosy evening Winter scent. By the candelight is more of a daytime cosy Sunday. Burned marschmallows. I don't feel whiskey (which is otherwise a very liked note in fragrances for me). Well done.

This is a nice perfume. I’ve never smelled one so...waxy. It’s sweet, comforting, soft, and balmy. If you find gourmands too cloying, you should try this. But I will not be buying. Although this is unique, something about it screams home fragrance instead of perfume. Leans more feminine but a good unisex contender.

Purchased a decant of this. Love the honey/beeswax combo. Very woody, almost smoky at the beginning, but that fades during the dry down revealing more of the toffee, vanilla-ish notes. Can't say this is a love because of the opening, but a definite like.

This is indeed a beautiful, super unique and pleasant, even magical scent. I definitely get the real/realistic beeswax candle and Cognac. These notes are dominant to me. I would absolutely adore it, but sillage and longevity are severally lacking on me.

This didn't impress me a ton at first, but it really blooms into a delicious cozy woody toffee in the drydown. Wood and beeswax notes are usually misses for me but they are done so well with this perfume that I enjoy the nuances they add.

This is By the Fireplace + toffee. Smokey, cozy, caramely, intriguing. Performance could be better as it starts very strong and becomes subtle quickly. Nothing a travel atomizer can’t fix.

this really does feel like being in a dusty room only dimly lit by candles while sipping brandy. it's giving demure old DILF overall rating: 🩷🩷🩷💔🖤 3.5/5

Such a perfect scent for Christmastime! Cinnamon and spices with warm booze. A faint scent of a fireplace. So warm and inviting.

Id probably label this sweet first and woody second. Was hoping the wood would come out stronger.

All would be grand but here comes the mutant strawberry again... so, not a love.

A sweet, smoky, caramelised brown sugar gourmand, honeycomb scent. They honey here isn’t so much runny-honey, nor the more savoury waxy honeycomb, it’s a dry and brittle toffee honeycomb which reminds me of a Crunchy bar. It’s stays close to the skin and is perfectly appealing. I think I prefer their Dirty Honey when comparing both dry-downs. A toffee caramel honey that’s never too sweet.

Boozy bees wax opening blossoms into sweet fruit and gentle woods. The plum in here is really beautiful, I just don't care for the candle accord. The slight smoke is nice. This smells interesting and niche. Happy to sample. Review of official spray sample that came free with purchase.

Christmas pudding in a bottle. But then poored into a candle. Smoke included. Like you ate it and drank cognac while standing in the smoke of a nice outside fire. After about an hour, you’re basically with a skin scent of toffee and beeswax. So performance is very poor.

Having been intrigued by reviews and everything I've read about this House, I recently bought samples of 5 of their scents, Captured by Candlelight being one of them (the others were New York 1955, Creamy Vanilla Crumble, Over the Chocolate Shop, and The Dark Heart of Old Havana). Here's my experience of the brand from my samplings: Great names. SUPER, in fact. ("Captured by Candlelight" is beautiful! It makes you yearn to smell it!) But, sadly, that's where they all, at least the 5 that I've tried, stop impressing. Captured by Candlelight sounded SO lovely. The notes in the description are so wonderful. And it does have a wonderful moment: literally about 2 minutes after you first spray it, you capture some of the gourmet players here. Then it lingers for a little while longer as a sort of burnt caramel candle smell, then, very quickly, it's gone, and you're left with exactly the same skin scent that you get from all the others from what I sampled. Honestly, it's as if they were all the same scent, but with different openings. Sad, sad, sad. I had high hopes, especially after what I'd read here. I wanted to experience the wonderfulness that Sweetasgodiva spoke of in her review, but Alas!